


but you warmed me to my core, and you left me wanting more

by spinning_out



Category: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, brad is stubborn and such a bitch i love him, david is so caring what the hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28699530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinning_out/pseuds/spinning_out
Summary: Brad Bakshi never liked to accept help from anyone, and he was okay with that. When he ends up in the hospital, he doesn’t have much of a choice anymore.
Relationships: Brad Bakshi/David Brittlesbee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	but you warmed me to my core, and you left me wanting more

**Author's Note:**

> quick note- i haven’t been in the hospital since i was little, nor have i ever broken a bone, so i only have a very basic understanding of how hospitals actually work
> 
> anyways i hope you enjoy, i’ve got a very long fic in the works so i’ll be back soon enough <3
> 
> title is from An Act of Kindness by Bastille

Brad Bakshi never liked to accept assistance from anyone. He was usually considered arrogant, money-hungry, and borderline sociopathic. He only wanted everyone to think he was aloof and well-adjusted, just so they would leave him alone. So each time anyone offered to do something for him, he would turn them down, only managing to distance himself further from the rest of his peers. Brad liked to believe that he was as stoic as he came off as, but each time one of his coworkers called him useless, or an asshole, a small part of him got wounded. But of course, he never let anyone see those wounds. He never let anybody in to help. 

That’s why he was sitting alone at home, hunched over his laptop and struggling to stay awake. A few weeks ago, Ian and Poppy had been going back and forth about a new addition to the game. Poppy was being stubborn about coding it, and Ian was insistent on getting her on his side. Brad initially hadn’t been sure what the new item was, and nobody had seemed eager to explain it to him. Knowing Ian, he probably didn’t have a very solid idea either. The only thing Brad had known was that he did _not_ want to get looped into whatever this new argument was centered around.

Those plans went to shit when Ian came barging into Brad’s office one day. 

“David’s not here.” Brad said simply, not taking his eyes away from his iPad when Ian walked in.  
“I was actually looking for you.” Ian replied.  
Brad looked up at him. “What do you need?”  
“Poppy agreed to help with the new biome, and I’m gonna need your help with getting it approved by Montreal.”  
“Isn’t handling Montreal David’s job?”  
“Well, yes. But this is gonna cost a good amount of money, and you’re the head of monetization after all.”  
Brad sighed. “Alright, fine.”  
“Great, thank you!” Ian said, reaching his hand out for a high five and awkwardly leaving the room when Brad didn’t move. 

Brad rubbed a hand over his face once Ian was gone. Adding an entirely new biome would take time, energy, and patience, all of which Brad had a very limited supply of. He was hoping that this project wouldn’t be too irritating, otherwise somebody might end up in the hospital. 

—

It had been almost a week since Brad began working on developing the new biome. Each individual item that was added had to be run by Montreal first, which included any new NPCs or weapons that went along with it. When Brad wasn’t stuck in meetings or staying up late, staring at a computer screen; he would just be sleeping. After long work days, he would spend another few hours doing work at home, and then he would climb right into bed. Ian, Poppy, and even David had offered to help him with this job, but he didn’t want to depend on anyone. They probably all thought he was just being stubborn, which if he was being honest, didn’t make him feel any better. He sometimes needed to prove to himself that he was good at what he did, and that he was vital to the company. Like when he shut down the store and left the office for a full day; that was more than just some petty stunt. That was to make himself feel wanted, or even needed, at the very least. Singlehandedly getting an entire biome approved was a lot harder though, and the workload was beginning to pile up. 

Things were stressful, to say the least. 

Brad’s eyes were beginning to hurt from staring at a screen all day. Even the glasses he had to wear at night weren’t helping anymore. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights in his home office, so only the glow of his laptop and the lights coming in from the hallway were illuminating his surroundings. He scanned over another email from corporate, none of the words fully registering. He had another video call scheduled for the upcoming weekend, and was currently adding onto his sections of their agenda. Brad sighed and took off his glasses, letting them fall onto the desk in front of him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his head from spinning. His phone rang and he answered on speaker, not having the energy to actually hold the phone to his ear. 

“Hello?” Brad said, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice.  
“Brad, hey!” Ian’s voice rang. He sounded far too excited for… whatever time it was. Brad only knew it was late.

“Did you need something, Ian?”  
“I’m just calling to check in, and let you know that there isn’t necessarily a deadline for the new biome, but it’s gonna have to speed up just a bit if we plan on advertising it.”  
“I’m trying my best. This process is a lot more grueling than it may seem.”  
“Yeah, I get that. I’m just seeing your progress and all that. This is a pretty big update.”  
“You think I don’t know that?” Brad muttered.  
“What was that?” Ian asked.  
“Nothing. Might as well just get back to work, I guess.”  
“I won’t keep you from that. Thanks for helping out so much, man.”  
“It’s whatever,” Brad huffed. “Goodnight, Ian.”

Brad hung up the phone before Ian even finished saying goodbye. He glanced at the clock in the corner of his laptop screen; _11:17 PM._

Brad stared at his computer again, trying his best to not panic about his inbox being bombarded with emails. There was a pit in his stomach that was steadily growing.  
“I’m so fucking sick of this.” Brad groaned, putting his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair as his phone rang again. Brad figured it was Ian again, and answered without bothering to look at the caller ID. 

“What do you want?” Brad said bitterly.  
“Hello to you too, I guess.” The voice on the other line said. Brad immediately realized that it wasn’t Ian who had called.

“Fuck, sorry,” Brad said quietly. “Hi David.”  
“You sound tense,” David observed. “Is everything okay?”  
“Not really. Work is shit, but what else is new?”  
“I’m assuming this is about the new update.”  
Brad nodded, forgetting that David obviously couldn’t see him.  
“You there?” David asked, sounding genuinely concerned.  
“Yeah, sorry. I’m still here.”

David went quiet for another moment. “Do you wanna talk about what’s bothering you?”

Brad almost said yes. Telling David he needed help was scary. He knew he could trust David, but he didn’t want David to panic. He got worried easier than anyone Brad had ever met. 

“I don’t know if I wanna get into all that right now. I’m just a little stressed.” Brad answered, yawning. 

“Brad, I think you should get some rest,” David said gently. “You can always work on this more tomorrow.”  
“Why did you call? You’re usually asleep by now.”  
“Don’t ignore that last statement.” David responded, catching Brad’s failed attempt at avoiding this conversation. “I couldn’t sleep, but now that’s not what’s important.”  
“But why call _me?_ ”  
“I don’t know, I like talking to you. Do I always have to explain myself to you?”  
“You’re the one doing all the talking.”  
“Stop trying to turn this around onto me.”  
“David, relax. I’ll go to bed soon.”  
“Promise me?”  
Brad rolled his eyes, now glad that David couldn’t see him. “I promise.”  
“Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay? I care about you”

Brad felt himself blush.  
“I don’t need your help,” Brad bit, cringing at how rude it sounded. “Sorry, that was mean. Thank you, D-Man.”  
Brad heard David laugh quietly through the phone, presumably because of the nickname.  
“Get some rest,” David repeated. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”  
“Whatever you say.”  
“Goodnight, Brad.”  
“Night.”

The line disconnected and Brad leaned back in his desk chair. He moved his hand towards his computer again, but decided to actually take David’s advice. Brad shut his laptop and took a deep breath. When he stood up, he had to place his hand on his desk to keep himself steady. Brad felt dizzy, and the pit in his stomach had gotten infinitely more prominent. He just blamed it on being tired and carefully made his way to the door once he collected his bearings. Brad paused once he got into the hallway, contemplating going into the kitchen to make himself dinner. He wasn’t sure how many hours it had been since he had last eaten, or even had more than a few sips of water. Brad knew that David would scold him for not taking care of himself better, but he turned down the hallway towards his room. 

Brad lazily discarded his work clothes that he hadn’t changed out of when he had gotten home, and flopped down onto his bed. Moving so much made his head spin again, but he was too out of it to even care. The second that Brad wrapped himself up in his covers, his exhaustion caught up to him, and he fell asleep fast. 

—

Since things just couldn’t seem to go well for very long, Brad ended up sleeping through his alarm. He groggily sat up, squinting at the sunlight coming in through his windows. He had an absolutely awful headache, and was hoping it would go away once he got himself up. Brad rubbed his eyes before reaching for his phone on the nightstand.  
_8:45 AM,_ the clock read. Brad quickly scrambled out of bed. Well, as quickly as he could without making himself fall back down. His head was pounding, and even just standing up was becoming a struggle. He considered calling David, telling him he still felt like shit and didn’t have the energy to come into work today. But that would make David worry, and Brad didn’t want David to go out of his way to try and help. Plus, everyone else at the office would probably think he was faking sick just to get out of working. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Brad’s finger hovered over David’s contact for another moment, but he sighed and continued on with his morning instead. He didn’t have any time to waste.

Work started in 15 minutes, which was usually around how long it took him to get ready in the morning. He hastily ran a comb through his hair and got dressed. It’s not like Brad hadn’t been late for work before, but with the week he had been having, he was worried that Ian would be upset. He quickly packed up his laptop bag from where he had been working the night before. Brad went downstairs, grabbing his car keys off of the kitchen counter and heading out the door. He nervously tapped the steering wheel of his car, finding it hard to focus on driving. His headache certainly didn’t seem to be subsiding any. He looked around his car, hoping he would at least have a bottle of water somewhere, but there was nothing. Brad sighed and shook his head. He could always just grab something from the kitchen area at the office. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t eaten breakfast either. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even feeling very hungry. 

“I’ll be fine.” Brad said aloud, unsure as to why he felt the need to remind himself of that fact. He turned his attention back to the road and drove the rest of the way in silence.

Brad was just over an hour late to work, so there wasn’t much reason for him to have panicked when he woke up. He rode the elevator up to the 5th floor, leaning against the wall the entire time. The office was as busy as usual, miscellaneous coders milling about the main floor of the studio. Brad began to walk towards the kitchen, but caught sight of Ian and froze in his tracks. A part of him knew that him being late wasn’t a big deal, but he wanted to avoid even the slightest chance of being scolded by Ian. He turned on his heels and went straight to his own office. 

David wasn’t at his desk when Brad entered the room, which Brad was a little relieved about. He was okay with not talking to anyone for just a little while longer. Nobody came by for a couple minutes. The more Brad thought about it, the more he began to realize that nobody had even noticed that he had come in late. Nobody had paid any attention to his absence. Typical. 

The sound of footsteps approaching broke him away from his thoughts. 

“Good morning.” David said, placing a muffin on Brad’s desk. He usually brought Brad something from the kitchen in the morning, but today Brad didn’t even feel like eating it.  
“Yeah, mornin.” Brad replied unenthusiastically. 

David took a bite from a muffin of his own, sitting down at his desk. “I didn’t see you come in. Where were you this morning?”  
“I slept through my alarm,” Brad said. “I didn’t think anyone even noticed I was gone.”  
“At least that means you were getting sleep. And if it helps, _I_ noticed that you were gone. I always notice you.”

Brad looked up at David in time to see his cheeks turn a pale shade of pink. David laughed nervously and turned around in his chair. Brad playfully rolled his eyes, opening up his laptop. He still couldn’t even focus on his work, and he didn’t expect any less. Brad sighed quietly and put his head in his hands. He rubbed his temples, hoping to alleviate some of his stress. He kept his eyes trained on the floor, hearing David’s chair move as he swiveled back around. Neither of them spoke for a moment, but Brad could feel David’s eyes on him. 

“Are you okay?” David asked.  
“Yeah,” Brad lied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”  
“You’ve just been sitting with your head in your hands, and you haven’t even touched your muffin. I don’t know, you just seem… off.”  
Brad picked his head up, offering David a weak smile. “I’m fine, David. Just tired, I guess.”  
“I know you’ve been stressed recently, have you been taking care of yourself?”  
“You’re not my mom. I’m fine.”  
“I’m just worried about y-“  
“David! I’m fine.” Brad snapped, wincing at the volume of his own voice. He didn’t even shout that loudly, but his headache was still bad enough to amplify the noise. He tried to ignore the slightly hurt expression on David’s face. 

Brad huffed and immediately stood to leave, already needing a break from everything. He took a few steps forward, the pain in his head had become unbearable. The sudden movement made the entire room spin. 

Brad’s vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the floor. 

—

The next few hours of Brad’s day went by in a blur. He remembered waking up on the couch in his office, feeling dazed. David was crouched by his side, continuously swearing under his breath. His eyesight kept going in and out of focus, but he could see Rachel standing in the doorway, looking worried. The testers lounge was right next to Brad and David’s office, so she likely saw everything that happened. Brad tried to sit up but drew in a sharp breath when pain shot through his arm.

“Brad, hey,” David said, speaking in a soft voice. “There’s an ambulance on the way, because you passed out and I sort of panicked, and I’m also pretty sure your wrist might be broken.”

Brad was having a hard time following everything David just said, but he nodded slowly. He tried to avoid moving his arm as much as he could, taking in deep breaths. David suggested something about moving Brad to stand, and he called Rachel over to help. Brad was able to sit up just fine, careful not to put too much pressure on his wrist. David draped Brad’s right arm, his non-injured one, over his shoulders and Rachel put her hand on Brad’s back. She kept asking if he was gonna be okay, which Brad was hoping would be true. Brad remembered being practically lifted up, but feeling weightless once he was upright. 

And that’s when he fainted again.

Brad woke up for the second time when he was in the ambulance, and he managed to stay conscious for the rest of the time. He knew that he was being taken into the hospital, and that they had to put a cast on his wrist. It was just a closed fracture, as the doctor explained, but it wouldn’t be able to heal on its own. Hospitals were never the most fun place for Brad, and he felt on edge for his whole visit. When he was situated in his room, they had to put an IV in his arm, to help with how dehydrated he had been. Apparently that was what made him pass out. His cast had been set, and Brad already felt exhausted, despite only having been there for less than an hour. Time seemed to be going by in increments, and only certain points of the day stayed in his mind. He fell asleep practically the second he was in the hospital bed. 

Brad opened his eyes a number of hours later to an unfamiliar room. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was, but the harsh white lighting and the distant sound of beeping machines immediately reminded him. 

_Oh right,_ Brad thought. _The hospital._

He turned his head to look at the rest of the room, and was surprised to see David sitting in a chair near the corner. David’s head was ducked down, his leg bouncing up and down. He was biting his nails too, another thing he did when he got nervous. Brad didn’t understand why David was here, and how long he had been waiting in the room.

“David?” Brad managed, his voice low and groggy.  
David jumped slightly at the sound of Brad speaking. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were awake.”  
“How long was I asleep for?”  
David shrugged, looking at his watch. “Almost 2 hours.”  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I came to stay with you.”  
“Why? We have jobs, y’know.”  
“Yeah, and I’m the boss. I can leave work when I want to.”  
Brad gave an understanding nod.

“Did you not expect anyone to at least visit you?” David asked, leaning forward.  
“I didn’t really think anyone cared enough,” Brad shrugged. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly the fan-favorite at the office.”  
“Hey, don’t say that. They care.”  
Brad gave him a pointed look. “Dave, we work with the most self-centered people on Earth, I doubt this put a wrench in their plans.”  
“You _do_ have a point. But look, I’m here, and I care.”  
“My wrist is broken, not my pride,” Brad joked, lifting his arm the best he could. “You don’t have to spare my feelings.”  
“I’m serious, Brad.” David stated, speaking in a tone that Brad wasn’t used to hearing. It was probably the most genuine David had ever sounded. Brad’s heart melted a little bit. David looked at the floor again, as if he were deep in thought. 

“I was really worried about you, and I know that I get worried easily but I honestly didn’t know what else to do. I knew that there was something off from when I walked in our office this morning, and when I saw you faint, it scared me. It scared me a lot more than I would want to admit. Were you trying to deal with this by yourself? You know that I wouldn’t have been mad if you asked me for help. I kept thinking that maybe I could have done more for you, somehow. If I had picked up on what was wrong earlier, I don’t know. I think I was just upset that you didn’t tell anyone that you weren’t handling this well.”

“You just,” David looked up at Brad, his leg was still bouncing at a rapid pace. “You mean a lot to me, Brad.”

For once, Brad was speechless. “David, that’s-”  
“Sorry that I’m getting so worked up about this. I’m just _really_ glad that you’re okay.”  
“You’re not wrong, though.” Brad said. “I should’ve reached out, and you have all the right to worry about me. I haven’t been in a very good headspace lately, and I’m honestly happy that you noticed.”  
“I told you, I always notice you.” David blushed again as he said it, earning a laugh from Brad.

David smiled to himself and moved his chair closer to Brad’s bed. Brad looked at him quizzically for a moment, but David hesitantly began to reach out his hand. He was clearly trying to keep them from shaking, and Brad bit back a smile. David placed his hand on top of Brad’s, exhaling quietly when Brad turned his palm up, their fingers linking together. Brad could immediately feel his skin grow warmer. 

“If things ever start to get bad again, come talk to me,” David told Brad. “I know Ian acts like the boss more than I do, but just say the word and I’ll tell him to lay off of you.”  
Brad could feel tears spring to his eyes but he blinked them away. “Thank you, David. That really means a lot.”

Brad brought his and David’s intertwined hands closer to his chest, laughing when David had to awkwardly move himself closer. David gave Brad’s hand a quick squeeze, Brad giving one in return. They locked eyes, and Brad found himself leaning forward every so slightly. He caught sight of David’s eyes flicking down to his lips, before they both jumped at the sound of the door opening. Brad turned his head to see the doctor coming back in the room. David was looking forward again too, but they didn’t let go of each other’s hands. Brad ran the pad of his thumb against David’s hand and smiled. 

The doctor explained to Brad that he wouldn’t have to stay for much longer, and reminded him to drink plenty of fluids. The doctor had gone over all the reminders with David too, just to make sure the information stuck. Brad thought it was cute how David immediately wrote it all down in his phone. Brad didn’t even realize he had called a behavior of David’s cute until afterwards. One of the nurses was talking to Brad as she took his IV out, David having left for a few minutes. 

“I think it’s sweet of your boyfriend to come stay with you. You two are cute” She said simply.  
Brad opened his mouth to protest, to tell her that David wasn’t his boyfriend, but something inside him told him not to.  
“Yeah, thanks.” Brad answered, smiling. 

If Brad was being honest, he thought that he and David were cute too.

—

“Wait a minute,” Brad said as he got into David’s car. “Is my car still at the office?”  
“I can always drive you in the morning the next time you go into work.”  
Brad didn’t say anything.  
“If that’s alright with you.” David added.  
“Yeah, that’ll be fine.” Brad reassured. “But won’t I miss out on a ton of work if I don’t go in tomorrow?”  
“Your main focus should be taking care of yourself. Getting so stressed that you pass out should be a valid excuse to miss a few days of work.”  
“I still have a lot to do though.”  
“Once again, the workload was what caused all of this. You deserve a break.”  
“Won’t Ian be upset?”  
“Let me handle Ian, okay?”  
Brad didn’t necessarily like what David was implying, but then again, Ian deserved what a harsh reprimand once in a while. 

David smiled, and Brad could feel his heart beating in his chest. 

Brad didn’t tell David about the nurse’s comment even after they left the hospital. That didn’t stop Brad from thinking about it though. It was honestly the only thing that he _could_ think about. David drove Brad back to his house, the ride being relatively silent other than the hum of the car and the radio playing on low. Brad had known he was gay since he was a teenager, but he had never really paid any attention to his potential feelings for David. _How did he never realize?_ Brad could definitely acknowledge that David was handsome, and he liked it when they spent time together, and they almost kissed before. Brad’s eyes widened slightly. They almost kissed. Brad _wanted_ them to kiss. He very clearly liked David, and somehow didn’t notice. Brad could barely wrap his mind around it as he continued to look at David. 

“Oh my god.” Brad muttered in disbelief.  
“What?” David asked, glancing over from the driver’s seat. Brad had almost forgotten that David was in the car with him.  
“Huh?”  
“You just said something.”  
“Sorry, yeah, it was nothing.”

David furrowed his eyebrows and quickly made eye contact with Brad, but focused back on the road. Brad flexed his fingers gently, to keep them from going stiff in the cast. He stared at a spot on the dashboard ahead of him, now trying to look anywhere but at David. Brad only realized that he liked David 5 minutes ago, but it was already hard to not confess them. He never had fun dealing with feelings, especially not in romantic connotations, and this was no exception. David pulled into Brad’s driveway and turned off the car. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” David asked again. “You were silent the entire car ride.”  
“Yes, David, I’m okay.” Brad said, speaking a little more harshly than he wanted to. Being nice to David usually came easily, but now he couldn’t even do that without overthinking it. He just wished this were simple. 

Brad smiled at David in an attempt to help somehow, and they stepped out of the car. Brad steadied himself as he got out, adjusting to still feeling a little fatigued. He hadn’t eaten anything in nearly 48 hours, so that’s likely all it was. 

David held the door open for Brad and they both went inside. Brad figured David would just be staying for a few minutes, making sure Brad had everything he needed. As if on cue, David asked him a question. 

“Do you need me to get you anything? Something to eat? Or drink?”  
“I was just gonna heat up some leftover pasta, but I can do that myself.”  
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it.”  
“Oh, thanks, I guess. You can heat some up too if you want any.”  
David nodded and walked into Brad’s kitchen. 

Brad meant it when he said he could make food himself, but David, being David, just _had_ to offer his hospitality. Brad looked around his living room and was relieved that it wasn’t too messy. A few discarded cups were on the coffee table, along with some unopened mail and a pair of Brad’s reading glasses. Brad picked up the TV remote and settled into his couch, propping his arm up on a few pillows. He was supposed to keep it elevated as much as he could for the next few days. David came back into the living room and handed Brad a bowl, along with a glass of water. He reminded Brad that he had to drink lots of water to prevent any further dehydration. David sat down on the floor in front of the couch, leaning against the cushions. Brad ignored how close David was to him and focused on setting up the TV. Naturally, he chose to watch _DuckTales,_ because that’s what he resorted to when he couldn’t find anything else. 

“Y’know, I never actually got around to watching this show.” David said, sticking a forkful of noodles into his mouth.  
“You’re missing out.” Brad answered. He turned on the pilot episode just so David could have a proper introduction. 

David took their bowls to the kitchen and refilled Brad’s glass of water. Once the episode finished, Brad paused it before the next one started playing. 

“I’m assuming you’re gonna head out soon, right?” Brad asked, readjusting his pillows.  
“Oh,” David said quietly. “I guess I can, if you don’t need me for anything else.”  
“I can take care of myself just fine, D-Man.”  
“I don’t know if I wanna leave you alone like this.”

David stood up and Brad quickly reached out to grab David’s wrist. “I don’t think I’ll need any help, but I don’t mind having the company.”  
David smiled genuinely and sat back down.  
“Do you want to keep watching?” Brad asked, gesturing towards the TV.  
“Of course I do.”  
Now Brad was the one smiling. 

—

As they sat, Brad didn’t think he had ever seen David have so much genuine interest in watching something. He had leaned his head back against the cushions of the couch, and kept his eyes trained on the TV. Brad had been absentmindedly playing with a few strands of David’s hair for the last couple minutes, unsure if David had even noticed either. David’s hair was soft and easy to comb through, so Brad surely didn’t mind it. David let out a sigh and tilted his head back against Brad’s hands just slightly. It became clear to Brad that David liked what Brad was doing, so he kept going. Instead of just combing the strands towards the back of David’s head, Brad started running his fingers fully through his hair. David visibly relaxed, and Brad didn’t have any complaints either. Brad detangled his fingers after a few minutes, offering for David to sit up on the couch with him. He moved his legs so David could sit comfortably. 

Brad had lost track of the time, but the lighting in his living room was getting considerably darker. David must’ve noticed too, checking his watch.  
“It’s just past 5:30.”  
Brad nodded, unsure of how David had already been at his house for over 2 hours. David let out a yawn. and Brad hadn’t even considered that David was probably tired. He had had a stressful day, and didn’t even get the opportunity to nap for a few hours like Brad did. 

“Sorry,” David said, rubbing his eyes. “It was a long day.”  
Brad knew he was at least partially responsible for that, and felt a twinge of guilt. “It’s okay. I know my whole situation put you under a lot of stress.”  
“Woah, Brad. Don’t blame yourself for anything that happened today.”  
“Work would’ve been normal if I hadn’t passed out.”  
“But you told me that you weren’t doing okay, and it’s not like it was your choice to faint.”  
“I still feel bad about it.” Brad shrugged.  
“Don’t,” David said quickly, grabbing Brad’s attention. “I promise that it’s not your fault.”  
“Whatever, D-Train.”  
“Despite the circumstances, I actually had a good time today.” David paused briefly when Brad raised an eyebrow at him. He continued to talk, but it was more to himself than Brad. “I genuinely really liked spending time with you, because I really like you.”  
Brad froze. So did David. 

“What?” Brad asked in disbelief.  
“Fuck, uh,” David stammered. “It just sort of slipped out, I guess, I don’t know.”  
“You like me? Like in a more-than-a-friend way?”  
David nodded slightly, hiding his head in his hands. “Sorry, I don’t want to make things awkward or anything but now I’ve already said it and I’m sort of panicking-”  
“David.” Brad said softly. David kept rambling.  
“-and if you don’t feel the same or you want me to go or something then I can but-”  
“David.” Still nothing.  
“-just tell me what you want me to do. Ugh, fuck, um, I’m sorry.”  
“David!” Brad called, pulling David’s hands away from his face. “It’s okay.”  
“How is any of this okay?” David’s face was a bright shade of pink, and Brad laughed. 

David looked up at him, furrowing his eyebrows. Brad continued to giggle quietly and a confused smile broke out across David’s face.  
“I like you too, David.” Brad said with another small laugh.  
“Y-you do?”  
“Yeah, I really do.”  
David stared down at his hands, playing with the sleeves of his flannel. “Can I kiss you, then?”  
“I thought you’d never ask.”

David picked his head up and put a finger under Brad’s chin, moving in close. The kiss was soft and quick, just a simple press of their lips. They pulled away at the same time, smiling and looking into each other’s eyes. Brad leaned back in the best he could, putting his hand on David’s cheek. He captured David’s lips in another kiss, this time much slower and more heated. David placed his hand against the back of Brad’s neck to keep him close. They broke away breathlessly, foreheads pressed together and Brad with his hand still against David’s face. He ran his thumb along David’s cheekbone, smiling. David leaned into Brad’s touch and his eyes fluttered shut. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the presence of one another. Brad sat up to adjust his arm, wincing just slightly when he moved it.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Brad offered. “We can sleep in my bed. I mean, we obviously don’t have to do anything like, not that I really can, but um, you get what I’m saying.”  
David laughed. “That’s good with me.”  
“It’s still barely even 6:00, do you want some actual dinner?”  
“Sure,” David said. “What were you thinking?”  
Brad pulled out his phone. “I can order Chinese, and we can watch something while we wait.”  
“Sounds great! But don’t get mad if I fall asleep on the couch.”  
Brad gave him a fond smile. 

David gently placed his head on Brad’s shoulder, tucking into the same corner of the couch where Brad was sitting. Brad kissed David on the forehead and reached for the remote. They sat in comfortable silence, other than the noise of _DuckTales_ still on the TV. Brad would occasionally quote parts of the episode from memory, successfully making David laugh. They stayed close for most of the night. Even when their dinner arrived, David went to the door to pick it up, but immediately curled up next to Brad once he sat back down. After they cleaned up the takeout containers, they just went back to the same position. Brad in the corner, his right arm looping around David’s waist, and David with his head on Brad’s shoulder. They both intended on staying that way for as long as they could. 

—

Almost 2 hours passed, and David was out like a light. Brad shut off the TV, placing the remote down. David’s head was still on Brad’s shoulder, eyes closed and breathing softly. David’s phone began to ring, sitting on the couch cushion in between the two of them. 

_Call from: Ian_

Brad gently moved David off his shoulder, grabbing the phone and standing. Getting up, not waking David, and answering a phone call all at once was certainly hard to do one-handed. Brad held the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” Brad said quietly.  
“Brad?” Ian asked. “Is that you?”  
“You guessed it.”  
Ian paused, probably checking to make sure he called the right number. “Why are you answering David’s phone? And where’s David?”  
“He’s currently asleep on my couch, do you need him for something?”  
“No,” Ian said unsurely. “But how are you doing?”  
“I just have a broken wrist and am still under a surprising amount of stress. So, you know, the usual.”  
“Do you have to be so sarcastic all the time?”  
“Yes.” Brad answered without a beat. He could practically hear Ian roll his eyes on the other line. Brad felt a little bad for being so bitter. “Sorry if that sounded rude, I’m tired.”  
“No worries, man. Tell David I called, I’ll talk to him at work in the morning.”  
“Will do.”  
“Take care of yourself, Brad. We all got kinda scared after what happened today. If you ever need anything, don’t feel bad about asking.”  
Brad smiled. “Thanks. Have a good night.”  
“You too.”

Brad turned back around to see David sit up, rubbing his eyes. His hair was mussed and he looked rather disoriented.  
“Good morning.” Brad joked.  
“What time is it?” David asked, his voice heavy with sleep.  
“8:30.”  
David groaned. “Can we go to bed?”  
“Sure. If you want to take a shower or anything, there’s a bathroom upstairs.”  
David nodded, patting Brad on the knee and walking up from the couch. Brad followed shortly after, grabbing a pair of clothes for David to sleep in before tidying up his room. 

Brad wandered back downstairs, remembering that he had to cover his cast before taking a shower of his own. He opened his pantry to look for some plastic wrap, and through his drawers for some medical tape. Brad sat at the kitchen counter for 5 minutes, trying but failing to wrap his cast securely. Tearing plastic wrap was hard enough to do already, but only using one hand was infinitely harder. He swore under his breath when another piece got stuck to his hands. Brad was so caught up in his own thing that he hadn’t realized David standing against the wall.

“What are you doing?” He asked, and Brad jumped.  
“Trying to wrap up my cast so I can take a shower.” Brad said defeatedly.  
“Do you want my help?”  
“No. I can do this on my own.”  
“Mhm.” David nodded, watching as Brad continued to struggle.  
Brad dropped his head and sighed. “Yes.”  
“‘Yes’ what?”  
“Yes, I want your help.” 

David laughed at the fake-annoyed expression on Brad’s face. He stood by the counter and tore off pieces of plastic wrap to carefully put on Brad’s arm. Brad sat quietly, only occasionally wincing when David accidentally put too much pressure on his arm. Brad still had a slight pout on his face once David was done, so David leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. Brad started to smile in an instant. He held onto David’s wrist and stood up to hug him. Brad wrapped his arms around David’s torso, placing his hand on the small of David’s back. David hugged back immediately, smelling like nice soap. David’s skin was warm, and Brad tucked his head into the crook of his neck. They stood in the kitchen for a while, just holding each other close. 

Brad took his shower as quickly as he could, not wanting to keep David awake for too much longer. David was getting settled into bed when Brad walked into the room. Brad propped his wrist up on the pillows by his side. David inched closer and rested his head on Brad’s chest. Brad moved his free arm from underneath David and placed it on his back. Brad put his hand underneath the hem of David’s shirt, tracing his fingers along David’s back.

“How did you realize? That you liked me?” David asked, breaking the silence.  
Brad thought for a moment. “I think a part of me always knew, but I never managed to realize until we were at the hospital today.”  
“What changed?”  
“One of the nurses called you my boyfriend, and I didn’t want to correct her.”  
“Am I your boyfriend?” David inquired, and Brad wasn’t sure if David had even realized what he said. The term “boyfriend” usually stressed Brad out, but it felt right to say when he thought of David.

Brad hugged David closer. “I’d like that.”  
David hummed in approval.  
“When did _you_ realize?” Brad asked in return.  
“After the Ethics Committee. I just never figured out how to bring it up to you.”  
Brad nodded. That was a lot longer of a time than Brad had to deal with. “I’m glad you told me though, now I can keep you here with me as long as I want.”

David picked his head up and kissed Brad softly. Once on the scar on his nose, another on the cheek, and a few more on the lips. He turned over to lay on his side, his head landing back on Brad’s chest. He draped an arm over Brad’s stomach and placed one of his legs in between both of Brad’s.  
“Is this okay?” David mumbled.  
“It’s perfect.” 

Brad smiled and brushed a hair off of David’s forehead. He moved his hand again to run it along David’s back and took a deep breath.  
“Goodnight, David.”  
“Goodnight.”

Brad kissed David on the forehead one more time, settling down into a peaceful night’s sleep. 

—

Brad woke up to the sound of David’s alarm. It was 7:30 in the morning, which usually meant going to work. He was taking a much needed break for the day, so all it meant now is that David had to get up. Brad would’ve much rather stayed in bed, because he would get to stay with David. They were still comfortably wrapped up in one another. David released his grasp on Brad’s shirt, rolling over to turn off his phone. Brad took that time to sit up against the headboard of his bed. David stopped the alarm, laying on his side and propping himself up on his elbows. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and looked at Brad, with a smile plastered on his face. Brad smiled back, making David blush but not breaking his gaze. 

“What are you looking at?” Brad asked.  
“Your bed head is really cute.” David answered, reaching up to play with Brad’s curls.  
Brad smiled as David ran his hand through his hair. “Not that I’m complaining about you still being here, but don’t you have to go to work?”  
“This is nicer.”

Brad nodded, closing the distance between him and David. Brad pressed a few gentle kisses to David’s lips. David rolled onto his back, carrying Brad with him. They kissed for another minute or two, Brad wasn’t sure for how long and he didn’t really care, until Brad pushed himself off of David with a hand against his chest. David’s face was flushed and his lips were kiss-swollen, a starry look in his eyes. Brad laughed teasingly when he pulled away, soon swinging his legs out of bed. 

“You’re gonna be late for work.” Brad said with a wink. “Go get ready, I’ll make some breakfast.”  
“Yeah.” David breathed, still looking completely awestruck. 

David came downstairs a few minutes later, where Brad was taking 2 bagels out of the toaster. He put cream cheese and some fresh blueberries on them, sliding one across the counter for David. They ate in silence, David continuing to check his watch to make sure he wouldn’t be late. 

After breakfast, Brad had moved himself back onto the couch. He situated his arm up on a few pillows, keeping his phone and the remote right next to him. David came over to him right before he had to leave to make sure he was comfortable. 

“I’m only going in for a few hours today,” David explained. “After work I’ll probably run home just to grab a few things, and then I was thinking I would stay here again tonight?”  
“No complaints from me.” Brad said. David kissed him quickly before heading towards the front door.  
“Call me if you need anything, make sure you keep your arm elevated, and keep drinking plenty of water.”  
“I know how to survive on my own.”  
“You’re so difficult sometimes.”  
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.”  
David opened his mouth to say something, but just smiled instead. “I’ll see you soon.”  
Brad blew David a kiss, watching as the door shut behind him. 

Brad rolled his eyes fondly once David left the room. He never expected to have someone take care of him in a way that David did, and he definitely never expected to appreciate being taken care _of._

Brad never liked to accept help, but if David was the one helping, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> special shout-out to my friends who i had to ask medical questions when google wasn’t being helpful
> 
> thank you for reading, comments always make my day so feel free to leave any!


End file.
